Hay crop swathing and treating machine



Oct. 13, 1959 Filed NOV. 19, 1957 G. H. DYRDAHL 2,908,126

HAY CROP SWATHING AND TREATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

, 601%12 iffy/M Oct. 13, 1959' a. H. DY RDAHL HAY CROP SWATHING AND TREATING MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, '19s? 5 2 t WM //F m M n 0/4 3 Oct. 13, 1959 a. H. DYRDAHL 2,908,126

- .HAY' CROP swmnmc AND TREATING-MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, 1957 3 She'ps-Sheet s United States Patent-Office 2,908,126 Patented Oct.- 13, 1959 HAY CROP SWATHING TREATING 1 MACHINE Gordon H. Dyrdahl, OWatonna, Minn., assignor to Owatonna Manufacturing Company, Inc., Owatouna, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application November 19, 1957, Serial No. 697,477

3 Claims. 01. 56-1) My invention relatesLto hay crop swathing machines, preferably of the self-propelled type, and hasfor its primary object the provision of means for crushing or.

breaking up'the stems of the harvested'crop tofacilitaterapid drying thereof. l

To the above end, I provide a through which the newly cut crop is passed. However, such crushing rollers, of necessity, run at high speed. and I have found that as a result the crushed crop-is thrown to the ground in a flattened outcondition Which discourages free circulation of air therethrough and hence:

retards drying.

. .A further and highly important object of my invention,

same on the ground in ahighly flufied windrow which encourages drying.

A further object of my invention is, the provision of a device of the class immediately above described-in which the crushing rollers are rotated at a given relatively high rate of speed, whereas the cropfiretarding rolLpositioned immediately therebehind, is rotated at a relatively slower rate of speed.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class immediately above described which is relatively inexpensive to produce, which is foolproof in its operation, and is rugged and durable.

The above and still further and important objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of my novel structure, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in horizontal section and partly in top plan as seen from the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in its entirety a main frame of a conventional self-propelled swather, the drive Wheels carried thereby being identified by the numeral 2, the sickle mower by the numeral 3, the reel by the numeral 4, and the motor, shown as being of the internal combustion type, by the numeral 5. As shown particularly in Fig. 2, such machines include a pair of transverse belt conveyors 6 and 7, the top flights of which, as indicated by arrows, travel inwardly and are spaced apart at their pair. of crushing rollersadjacent ends to provide a space 8 for the discharge of hay crop which has been cut by the sickle mower 3 and, deposited on the belt conveyors 6 and motion of the machine. 7 v Y My novel attachment comprises a forwardly opening. generally U-shaped sub-frame identified in its entirety by the numeral 9 and including generally longitudinally extendingside members 10 and transverselyconnecting members 11. The forward ends of the side membersfltl are removably secured to the main frame I of the.

machine by any suitable means, as indicated at 12. "The:

' 3 sub-frame 9.

rear end portion of the sub-frame 9 is supported'by caster wheels 13. A longitudinally, extended belt. conveyor-1'4 is shownas having its rear end portion journaled between laterally spaced bearing plates 15 carried by mounting bracket means 16 suitably rigidly suspended from the The forward end of the belt conveyor i4 'is suitably supported by the front end portion of the main frame 1, through conventional f connections including bracket;-ele-" I inents 14a, one ofwhich is shown, see Fig. l, immediately rearwardly of the sickle mower 3 and'in underlying relationship to the space' 8 between the adjacentinner ends of the transverse conveyors 6, 7. Asindicated by the arrow in Fig. 2;-the upper flight 17 of the longitudinal conveyor 14 feeds 'rearwardly whereby:to feed thecut' crop deposited thereon 'bythe transverse conveyors 6 and;

7 and the central portion of the sickle mower 3 to a pair of crushing rollers 18 and 19. As shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, the crushing rollers 18 and 19 areprovided with axially elongated cooperating crushing blades 20which loosely intermesh and break and/orcrush the stems of the cut crop, fed therethrough, at spacedpoints. As shown particularly in Fig. 3, the lower crushing roller. 18 is mounted fast on a shaft 21 whichin turn is journaled at its oppositeend portions in bearings 22 suitably mounta ed on the bracket means "16. 'The upper crushing roller:

19 is likewise mounted on a shaft 23 which has its opposite ends suitably journaled in bearings 24 that are mounted on the front ends of a pair. of supporting arms 25 pivotally W securedintermediate their ends toithe *bracket'means, as indicated at 26, .see particularly Figii4. ieldingbias:

isexerted'on the rear ends er 'the arms r25 through-the medium of a coil compression spring 27 to move the upper crushing roller toward the lower one thereof. This arrangement permits solid material to pass through the crushing rollers without damaging same.

A crop speed retarding roll 28, preferably and as shown being provided with radially projecting teeth or blades 29, is mounted on a shaft 30 also suitably journaled in bearings 31 supported by bracket elements 32 rigidly secured to the sub-frame 9. It will be noted with reference to Figs. 1 and 4, that the crushing roller 19 is disposed slightly forwardly of the lower crushing roller 18, so that material discharged therefrom will be caused to be thrown rearwardly and upwardly toward the retarding roll 28, the upper limits of which are above the horizontal plane of the intermeshing portions of the crushing blades 20 of the crushing rollers 18, 19.

For the purpose of simultaneously driving the crush- 7 the retarding roll 28 at a relatively lower rate of speed,

I provide an internal combustion engine 33 mounted on the sub-frame 9. An endless drive belt 34 is entrained over a drive pulley 35 fast on the shaft 36 of the engine 33 and an idler pulley 37 mounted on a horizontally disposed and suitably journaled jack shaft 38 carried by the sub-frame 9. An endless link chain 39, suitably driven from the shaft 38, is entrained over a sprocket 40 fast on the shaft 21 and a second sprocket 41 fast on the shaft 23 to drive the crushing rollers 18 and 19 in opposite directions to feed crushed material therebetween 7 due to: forward.

. 3 tothe retardroller 28, as indicated. by. arrows. in. Fig. 4.. A second endless link chain. 42 is suitably driven from the jack shaft 38 and is entrained over a relatively large sprocket-43 that is: mounted fast-..ona countershaft; 4,4; journ-aled. in. bearings ,4S on the; sub-frame 9:. A; third endlessylink chain 46. is;entrained1over-a1relativelygsmallt sprocket 47 fast on the shaft 44 and. a. relatively large, sprocket 48 fast on the, shaft 30 of-ythe retarding roll; 28.

Withthis'. novel arrangement, crushed crop; traveling'at a.

relatively high rate of speed as it. leaves the. crushing rollers. 18 and. 19 is greatly retarded .by the slowly rotating retarding roll-28 and deposited gently on the ground ina highly fluffed Windrow rearwardly of the retarding: roll:28.. a

My invention has; been thoroughly testedgand: found to be completely satisfactory for the; accomplishment; of the above objects and whileI have. shown a. preferred. embodiment thereof, 1 wish it to.- be specifically understood that same is capableof modification without deparand spirit of the appended claims;

.prising, a wheel-equipped sub-frame. adapted: to: be, .de-

tachably. secured to. said: first-mentioned frame so as to extend rearwardly. thereof, a belt conveyor'mountedzon.

said sub-frame to extend; longitudinally of the direction of travel of. said swathin-g machine. and havingLa rearwardly traveling top. flight, a: pair of transversely elongated. crushing rollersv each having radially extending projectionsloosely intermeshing with those of the other roller and mounted for rotation in said. sub+frame, a speed retarding. roll journalled for rotation in said subframe rearwardly of said crushing rollers and in. the pathv of travel of crushed crop discharged by said crushing rollers, said longitudinally extendedv belt conveyor ex-- tending; from a point immediately rearwardly of said mower and. feedingv into said crushing rollers, the front end portion of said. longitudinally extended. belt con.-

veyor being adapted to. underliethespace between. the.

belt conveyors carried by. said machine, .and. power means carried by said sub-frame for rotating said crushing rollers at a given rate of speed and for imparting rotation to said speed retarding roll at a slower rate than that of said crushing rollers.

2. In a hay crop sWa thing and treating machine hav-' ing means, for. cutting hay and delivering thesame rear: wardly, said'machine' including a mobile frame, a pair.

'of generally superposed elongated crushing rollers journa'lled; for rotation on parallel. axes. extending'transs versely of the path-.Lof-travel of thegframe, means mounting one of said rollers for movements toward and away fromthe other thereof, said rollers. each having radially extending projections loosely intermeshing with those of the other rollerto; receive the cut crop therebetween and crush the'same, a retarding roller havingfradially extending projections and j-ournalled for rotation'on an axis parallel to. the axes of. said crushing rollers, said retardingroller beingtdisposed rearwardly'ofxsaid crush-. ing rollers, power'means for imparting rotation tosaid: crushing rollers 'ata given rate of speedandfindirections to eject the material rearwardly therefromv toward said:

" speed retarding .roll,"andspeed reductionrmechanism coupled to said power means for impartingrotation tosaid; speed. retarding. rolljat a; slower. rateof speedthan that"v of saiclcrushing. rollers.

-..3. The structure defined in claim; 2 in whichisaid means;

i" mounting one of saiderollers for; movements. toward and away from the other thereof comprises a.pair.of..arms; journalled at theirfintermediate portions for swinging movements. of. the opposite ends thereof, said .oneofthe crushing rollersbeing journalled at'its. opposite ends tQf the inner ends ofsaid arms, and in further. combination;

with spring means. at the, opposite ends of said arms-x and yieldingly urging said arms in a directionsof swinging movement to movesaid one of the crushing-.rollers'toward the. other thereof. I

' ReferelncesCited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,5l0',245 Munter; Iune6, 1950 2,521,999.- Scott Sept. 12, 1950-. 2,711,622. Cunningham June 28, 195.5- 2,727,347

-Fenster'et al... Dec. 20, 1955. 

